MAKING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS) RELEVANT IN INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE CLASSES IN AN EVER CHANGING EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

The assessment of student learning outcomes is the latest focus at many levels of higher education, and has become a requirement for many community college classes in the state of California. Community colleges have not met accreditation standards as a result of the failure to assess outcomes. The process can be laborious, adding extra time and energy to a considerable workload for many. Ownership by faculty is paramount to the process. Imbedding the SLO assessment into the existing curriculum may make the most sense, and is essentially an easier methodology for maintaining SLO assessment relevance to an instructor.

Measuring outcomes can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but this author utilizes a method that assesses several levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Basic quizzes can give an instructor an assessment of the most basic domains of understanding and remembering. Middle and upper domains of the taxonomy (analysis and evaluation) can be assessed through essay assignments graded utilizing a rubric. Finally, on exams, the taxonomic domains can be revisited in order to determine if the student is developing of a mastery of the concepts. Interpretation of the data can provide the instructor information about the learning group (the entire class), but can also reveal individual student strengths and weaknesses. Comparing the student’s achievement at each level is directly related to a thorough understanding of the geologic processes and principles.